Jonathan Cohen makes his New York debut with Arcangelo

After a successful summer at Glyndebourne Festival and touring with Les Arts Florissants, Jonathan Cohen has a busy autumn as he makes several guest-conducting appearances, alongside directing engagements with his ensemble Arcangelo. Foremost amongst these is their New York debut at Carnegie Hall on the 18 November 2013, in a programme featuring Askonas Holt violinist Alina Ibragimova. This performance will mark a perfect cadence to a successful and varied year for Arcangelo.

Following their recent concert at the Flanders Festival performing Bach’s B minor Mass, Arcangelo brought the same work to the Tetbury Festival in October, where Jonathan begun his tenure as Artistic Director. Arcangelo, were also joined at the Tetbury Festival by fortepianist Kristian Bezuidenhout, following on from his recent triumphant Wigmore Hall recital.

Arcangelo’s reputation for sensitive, thoughtful performances has been further demonstrated this year by their recording of Handel’s ‘Finest Arias for Base Voice’ on which they collaborated with Christopher Purves and received a 2013 Gramophone award nomination. Arcangelo took a significant step in their recording career through the recording of Bach’s Mass in B minor live at the Tetbury Festival on the 6 October 2013. This maintained Arcangelo’s tradition of working with the finest baroque performers of the day and in the recording, they were joined by Lydia Teuscher, Ida Falk Winland, Tim Mead, Sam Boden and Ashley Riches.

Jonathan Cohen’s diary is complemented this Autumn by a number of guest appearances as a conductor alongside his commitments with Arcangelo. Jonathan will appear with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, The Tatarstan Symphony Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra with whom he will direct Handel’s Messiah, which will be recorded for radio.

In the resplendent settings of the Glyndebourne Festival, Jonathan Cohen discussed his approach to music and some of the experiences which shaped his early career in a filmed interview.